Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Happy New Year!I love fresh starts, new beginnings, clean slates and alla that. I love shiny happy hopeful opportunities, inspirational quotes, and the like. So when I wake up tomorrow, hungover or not, I will remember that I have 365 days, 52 weeks, 12 months, or however you like to look at it, all clean and blank and stretched out before me to make amazing. Before I snarl at anyone and bitch and moan about how bad I may or may not feel, I will lay in bed and remember that it's a new day and a new year and it will be as awesome and amazing I allow it to be.

K, had enough sunshine blown up your wazoo? Have a marvelous time tonight, doing whatever you do, and remember, Holiday Cab is back up & running in KC. Call 816-777-1115 for a safe ride home. Driving around on NYE is a bad idea, no matter what. Morons. You know. I will stick to drinking beer tonight. Last time I drank anything else it was a bad plan. V. bad plan. Am grounded from red bull and vodka for life, I am sorry to say.

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Someone who lives near John's in downtown KC says there is something shady going on. They've apparently been closed for over a week for "renovations," but clearly there has been nothing done except to turn off the lights since hanging the sign. So, is John's the next casualty?

Monday, December 22, 2008

Lee is in town, Lee is in town! Freezing his mild Texas behonkey off in our sub-zero climate, I am sure. He's going to be at McCoy's tonight. Sadly, I will not be at McCoy's tonight. :( If you see Lee, tell him I said hi, and I'll catch him another eve. With beer. I promises.

Tonight my co-workers and I are embarking on what sounds like a Very Bad Idea. We're doing a pub crawl, on a Monday night, as our own little holiday party. All full-time employees and all contract field staff are welcome to attend. We're starting at the office, and heading out into the frigid night around 6 ish. This is what the work fridge looks like right now. Boulevard Pale Ale, Schlafly & Breckenridge Christmas Ales, and a little Hoegaarden, not to mention the Bailey's, Bud Light, Jose Cuervo margaritas, or the bottles of random booze below. I heard that someone is bringing their own 30 pack of Busch Light. A little something for everyone, then. The little mustard bottle looks a little out of his element, don't you think?

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Last week, Sapporo announced that they would soon be serving space beer, "the world's first beer made with barley descending from plants grown inside the International Space Station."

The barley used in the new beer is a third-generation offshoot of the original plant stored for five months in a Russian laboratory in the station. The company has made only 100 liters of the new brew, named Sapporo Space Barley, which is not for sale. Sapporo says the beer is safe because it has tested microbes in it and did tests with lab animals and Sapporo employees, too. It also says that the space beer tastes just like regular beer.

For obvious reasons, this brings to mind China's space seed project, in which "space breeding" puts astronomy to work in the service of contemporary agriculture.

Plant seeds have been blasted into orbit in the hope that "space breeding" holds the key to improving crop yields and disease resistance. Wheat and barley strains developed by the Department of Agriculture and Food in Western Australia (WA) have just landed back on Earth following a 15-day orbital cruise on board China's Shijian-8 satellite. "Space-breeding refers to the technique of sending seeds into space in a recoverable spacecraft or a high-altitude balloon," said Agriculture WA barley breeder Chengdao Li. "In the high-vacuum, micro-gravity and strong-radiation space environment, seeds may undergo mutation."

While this certainly offers landscape architects an unearthly way to boost their horticultural repertoire, it also shows that specialty foods cultivated through genetic interaction with the universe might yet find a comfortable place in the human food chain. Sipping space beer, ingesting astronomical influence, welcoming literally non-terrestrial nutrition into the planetary web of caloric intake, we'll find that Sapporo's newest beer brings a suitably alien tenor to the local amnesia of alcoholic intoxication.

Monday, December 15, 2008

I think I may be breaking the law. I bought a bottle of both Boulevard's Saison Brett and Bourbon Barrel Quad, wrapped them in 900 layers of paper, and shipped them off to my brother & sister in law in NYC. I just placed them in the care of the US Postal Service tonight, using the self-service kiosk at my post office so no postal worker could detect my guilty red face when they ask if the package contains any liquids and I say "NO!" Considering the current temperatures, I am taking bets on the likelihood of both bottles arriving in whole condition, with no explosions, breakage or leaking.

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Also posted on BeerAdvocate:I ran straight down to Cellar Rat over my lunch hour today to fetch a couple bottles of the new limited Smokestack brew.

I do not own a beer goblet. I need to buy one. In the meantime, I decided to experiment with the gorgeous but useless crystal wine goblets received as a wedding gift 6 years ago & once or twice used.

Poured into the goblet, the head bubbled up quickly, brown and effervescent and dissipated quickly. The inch & a half of head left just a thin lace around the edge of the glass in minutes. The color is dark, brownish reddish maroon.

The initial sniff smells strongly of cherries, and the first sip gave a pretty strong hit of the same. A little, fizzy, cherry hit, followed by with a slightly bitter, tangy, vanilla-y taste. This definitely falls in the fruit beer category for me, but I like it. (This is unusual.)

After the initial few sips, I start noticing the bourbon influence, and it takes on a slightly woodsy element. It's warming. I think I like this beer a lot. It's an unusual beer.

Boulevard's Smokestake Series limited run of Saison-Brett appears to have run it's course, so if you can find any, now is the time to start hoarding.

Boulevard's Smokestack Series limited run of the Bourbon Barrel Quad has begun. Go, go now. (pic stolen from MuddyMo who beat us all to it last night.)

A little reminder for you all from a July 1st release (BeerNews):Saison-Brett will be released to the tune of less than 12,000 bottles and BBQ even more limited at approximately 7000. Each bottle will be individually numbered. The beers will be released into the same distribution channel as the other Smokestack beers. According to John Bryan, Director of the Artisanal Division, that channel includes the following states: MO, KS, NE, IA, ND, SD, MN, WY, IL, AR, OK, TN, and TX. Perhaps most remarkable about this group of limited releases is that they are released in a number of states that have traditionally not been known for carrying a great selection of higher quality craft beers.

Beer Advocate members rate it as a solid "B," not amazing, but not bad. I gave it an "A-." It's smooth, malty, toffee-coffee goodness, with a tiny bit of spiciness. It is good. I dig it. I love amber, malty, yummy goodness meant for chilly evenings. And I am extremely happy that I didn't pick up the Shiner holiday brew instead. Even though Lee is a fan, I can guarantee I wouldn't have the same reaction. Me & fruity beers just are not a match.

Tuesday, December 02, 2008

PR people want my readers to know things. They email me, so I post them. It's practically a public service I provide here. Jessica, from Obsidian PR, which apparently handles either the Flying Saucer or Bell's, sent me the following email. Consider yourselves invited.

The Flying Saucer will present a beer tasting featuring Bell’s Brewery next Monday, Dec. 8 at 7 p.m. I thought you might be interested in this for your blog.

The event will be hosted by Jim O’Connor, a territory manager for Bell’s Brewery. O’Connor will host the two-hour tasting, which will feature six of Bell’s Brewery’s beers – the Third Coast Old Ale, the Porter, the Kalamazoo Stout, the Special Double Cream Stout, the Cherry Stout and the Expedition Stout. The beers will be paired with four select cheeses and a dessert. Tickets for the event can be purchased at The Flying Saucer and are $30 for U.F.O. Club members and $35 for non-members.